Pseudopostega ecuadoriana Davis & Stonis 2007

Pseudopostega ecuadoriana

ADULT. Figure 226. Length of forewing 3.3 mm. Small white moth with an almost immaculate forewing pattern, marked only by 2 faint brown, subapical costal strigulae and a very small, black, apical spot. Male with apex of gnathos shortly bifid, and with narrow truncate vinculum, and short valvae; basal fold short, strongly arched at middle (Figure 396). Female unknown.

Head: Vestiture white. Scape white; flagellum cream, ~52-segmented. Maxillary and labial palpi white.

Thorax: Entirely white. Forewing white, almost immaculate except for 2 light brown, subapical costal strigulae and a very small, black, apical spot; both strigulae terminating near apical spot; terminal cilia cream to very light brown; venter of forewing pale ochre brown except for basal, discal cream area. Hindwing and cilia pale ochreous brown. Legs mostly cream; foreleg fuscous over lateral and dorsal surfaces.

Abdomen: Pale brown dorsally, cream ventrally.

Male Genitalia: Figures 396, 397. Socii a pair of moderately small, rounded, setose lobes, separated by a distance ~ equal to length of cucullar lobe. Caudal rim of uncus nearly truncate. Vinculum gradually narrowing to truncate anterior margin. Gnathos broad, width approximately equaling distance between lateral margins of socii, abruptly constricting to moderately stout, elongate, caudal lobe; apex of lobe broadly expanded and slightly bifid; anterior margin of gnathos smoothly concave, with small, arched, basal fold (Figure 396). Valva with relatively small cucullar lobe ~0.4× length of genital capsule, bearing a pectinifer of about 38 short, blunt spines; distal apex of cucullar lobe with minute projection; pedicel elliptical, moderately slender, width ~0.15× length of cucullar lobe; valva short, length along sacculus ~0.5× length of genital capsule; saccular lobe short and triangular; basal process of valva short, gradually tapering to narrowly triangular base; costal process of valva slender and elongate, terminating near anterior margin of vinculum near basal process of valva. Juxta absent.

FEMALE, LARVA AND PUPA. Unknown.

HOLOTYPE. ♂; ECUADOR: NAPO: SE Tena, nr. Rio Napo, Jatun Sacha, and Misahualli, 77°36'W, 01°04'S, 400–500 m: 26–31 Jan 2000, Amazon premontane tropical forest, R. Puplesis & S. Hill, slide AD 0438 (VPU).

HOST. Unknown.

FLIGHT PERIOD. January (unique record).

DISTRIBUTION. (Map 18) Known only from the type locality, an Amazonian premontane rainforest in eastcentral Ecuador.

ETYMOLOGY. The species name is derived from the country of origin, Ecuador.

DISCUSSION. The male gnathos of this species closely resembles that of P. latiapicula in the structure of the caudal lobe but differs in possessing less lobiform, basal, lateral expansions and a less developed basal fold that is strongly concave. The sacculus of ecuadoriana is relatively shorter (~0.45× the length of the genital capsule) than that of latiapicula and possesses a much larger saccular lobe. The wings of ecuadoriana are generally lighter in color and with less pattern than observed in latiapicula. Because of the lack of specimens, however, the extent of color variation in these species is unknown.

Pseudopostega ecuadoriana is a moth of the family Opostegidae. It was described by Donald R. Davis and Jonas R. Stonis, 2007. It is known from an Amazonian premontane rainforest in east-central Ecuador.

The length of the forewings is about 3.3 mm. Adults have been recorded in January.